Suicide Mission
by HotaruGFC
Summary: When given the mission to the Underwater Temple, Yami knew it would be dangerous. In the days before a mission that could end everything for him and his squad, he decides to leave no regrets behind. A bit of a "What If?" story.
1. Chapter 1

"I'll leave it to you then."

The words echoed in his mind as he stared at the cracks in the ceiling above his bed. He knew why Julius had asked him and his team to take on this mission. He understood, and frankly, he would have done the same had he been in Julius' shoes. There were benefits to having no ties, he thought. But there were detriments too.

He knew he would go. He was loyal to Julius; he would always do as asked. He trusted the man. And that trust had not failed him yet.

He knew his squad would follow him too. They were loyal as well, and stupidly so.

But they did not yet understand what was being asked of them.

Asta knew, but the kid was unwavering in his faith in the path he had chosen for himself. He believed he would succeed simply because he would never give up. He was both refreshing and naive.

Yami sighed as he held up his grimoire in the dim light of the waxing moon filtering through the small dingy window above the thin mat he called a bed. He had never grown accustomed to the thick fluffy mattresses of the kingdom he now called home. He flipped through the thick tome, looking at the half-filled pages. He had been told the grimoire only holds enough pages for the number of spells one would ever learn. He tried to take comfort in the fact his still had room for growth, but the gravity of the mission was oppressive.

Times like this had been few since he had washed up on the shore, but they always brought to mind his childhood fascination with the warriors of his homeland. As a kid, he had tried to learn everything he could about them, their practices, their fighting styles. He trained as much as his parents would allow, hoping one day to join their ranks. But his dream had been quashed as he matured and his parents needed him to carry on their legacy. He had been twelve when they had first set him out on a boat alone to fish. And he was fourteen when the waves stole him away and tossed him into this strange world.

He sat up and took his sword. He set himself to caring for the blade, honing its edge as he found himself recalling what he had learned of the original wielders of the sword he now carried. He recalled stories of several who had taken on apparent suicide missions, only to overcome by some miracle. But what struck him now, was their preparation beforehand.

They had all removed from themselves any possible regret.

He sheathed the blade once more and laid back again.

"No regrets." He told himself as he tried to go to sleep. He did not have many regrets; the few which came to mind were those which would come to pass if they failed. He closed his eyes, feeling sleep come to him when a face sprang to mind. Her blue eyes were narrow and annoyed, and the corners of her lips turned down in disgust.

"Dammit." He turned over and squeezed his eyes shut in a effort to ignore the vision in his head.

It was nearly dawn when he set out. He told himself he it was because the Blue Rose headquarters had the most extensive library on magical phenomena in the kingdom, but he knew it wasn't true. The capital had a copy of nearly everything in its library, and it was closer. But he found himself flying halfway across the kingdom anyway.

"No regrets." He told himself as the cool morning air rushed against his face and extinguished his cigarette. "Gods, I hate flying."

The sun had just fully risen above the horizon when he landed outside the large complex. The building was stoic and beautiful, and reminded him of a palace he had seen once as a boy back home in its simplicity and elegance. A bored young man leaned against the wall of the gate house. He wore the colors of the Blue Rose, but the rest of him looked more servant than knight.

"Halt." The young man yawned. "Who are you and what business do you have with the Knights of the Blue Rose." His tone was flat and weary.

Yami looked at him. He debated intimidating the kid, but somehow, he didn't think it would be worth it.

"I need to see the archives." He lit his cigarette once more as the young man looked up at him with heavy green eyes.

"Black Bulls?" The kid was fighting to keep his eyes open. "Whatever." He waved Yami through the gate without preamble. Yami wondered what kind of hell the kid was going to catch for letting him through so easily.

The girls inside the main building didn't let him off so easily. Their suspicious looks set his senses on high alert, but he knew they would do nothing if he did not provoke them. They were like bees that way. He ran into the giantess who always followed Her around. She was almost as loud as Asta, but in the end she did point him to where he needed to go. He was, after all, a captain himself and had every right to visit the archives at any of the squad bases or in the capital.

"I'm going to tell the Boss you're here." Her voice was shrill with an edge of a threat as she closed the door.

"Sure, sure." he waved dismissively as he approached the short mousy bespectacled archive keeper.

"Can, can I help you?" She shrank back from him somewhat.

"I need information on the Underwater Temple and the wild mana field surrounding it."

"O-Of, course. One moment. Please wait over there." She directed him to a large empty wooden table. He took a seat in the chair as she used her magic to sift through the books and scrolls stored in the massive collection. After a few minutes, the table before him was filled with several documents.

"Please take care." She told him. "Some of them are quite old."

He nodded before he pulled the first book toward him.

He had been flipping through the pages, absorbing the information buried within when She walked in. He could tell it was here by the gait of her steps and the burning sensation of her stare on the back of his neck.

"What are you doing here?"

He held up the book over his head.

"Reading."

"You can read at your own base."

"Don't have info about this at my base."

She grunted in disgust but she looked over his shoulder anyway.

"The Underwater Temple?"

"Yeah. Julius asked me to check something out there."

"Really? You? On a Mission?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I do actually do things. Well, when needed."

She snorted.

"You could have gotten the same information from the library in the capital, you know. They have the same books. And it's closer to your base."

He could hear her defensive posture in her voice. And she was right. Even though the kingdom's magical knowledge was divided among the Magic Knight squads, copies were available in the capital. He closed the book. He had already found everything he had needed to know about the mana field and the temple. The information was minimal and speculative at best, but it was at least something to go on. He took a deep breath.

Now or never, he thought as he turned to her.

"You know how we're supposed to be prepared for every mission to be potentially dangerous?"

"Of course. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."

"You ever have a mission where you just knew something was going to go wrong? Where the chance of success was... minimal?"

"I, I don't know. I can't really say I have."

"I haven't either, not often anyway. Not until this one."

"Oh." She looked past him, her eyes distant as if she were lost in some recollection.

"This is the first time I've ever been... scared of a mission. One little mistake and it's all over. For everyone, the entire squad."

She looked at him then, her eyes wide. He could feel her eyes on him, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"Julius asked me because none of us have any ties to speak of, except to each other, I guess. But I can't go into this with regrets either."

He looked at her then, finally meeting her eyes. He squeezed his hands into fists to stop them from shaking. He crossed his arms over his chest, thinking he was about to make a horrible mistake.

"Charlotte, look. I know it's a long shot, but would you... Never mind. It's stupid." He pushed his chair away from the table.

"What is it, Yami?"

He took a deep breath.

"I was wondering if." He shook his head, chuckling mirthlessly. "If you might want to go with me somewhere, I don't know. Like I said, it's stupid."

He stood to leave.

"Are you asking me out? Like on a date?"

Her words froze him. He looked at her blue eyes, like tiny ice crystals set into her pale face.

"I, Well, I would like to get to know you better."

He hated how she made him feel so uncertain and awkward. He never had this problem with other girls. With them he always seemed to know what to say. But not with her. With her, he always felt like he was tripping over his tongue, either with admissions he never knew he wanted to make, or with biting commentary designed to be off-putting.

She sighed and he braced himself.

"I, I'm sorry, Yami." She shook her head.

He looked at her. He had assumed she would say no from the moment he conceived of the idea. He thought he had prepared himself for the rejection. He had told himself he would be far more shocked if she had said yes. But he could not imagine the feeling of fracture he felt. He took the chance. He knew he would have regretted not taking it. He gambled, and he lost.

She would not meet his eyes.

"Well, at least I have an answer then, I guess." He turned to the door and left. He closed off the part of his heart that had fallen for her so long ago as the heavy door boomed shut behind him.

Charlotte stared at the door as the sound of it closing seemed to reverberate through the quiet library. The room was silent, except for the pounding of her heart as she watched him go. Slowly, she felt herself collapse to the floor as her knees gave out beneath her.

"Um, excuse me, Captain?" a small mousy voice asked from nearby. Charlotte turned to the voice and saw the archivist push up her glasses. "I really didn't mean to eavesdrop, or intrude, but." She cleared her throat. "But wasn't that Yami Sukehiro? The one who broke your curse?"

Charlotte closed her eyes against the tears she could feel welling in her eyes. She nodded as she bit her trembling lip.

"Why did you tell him no?" The young woman looked at her in confusion. "I mean, you must have some feelings for him, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to break the curse, right?"

"What do you know about the curse?"

"Well, I read a lot." the young librarian gestured around the room. "I stumbled across mention of it in one of the books. Wasn't the dispel only supposed to happen when a man stole your heart?"

Charlotte's nod was imperceptible. She took a deep breath. She had never spoken about the curse placed upon her to her squad, not since she became captain, not since it had been broken. Her predecessor had suggested she keep discussion of it to a minimum. Very few knew the details of the curse. Even Yami hadn't known what he had done to break it. She knew he was clueless when she had thanked him for it a few months afterward. And since then, she felt her heart race every time she was in the same room as him. She did her best to hide her feelings from everyone, even herself. She had never suspected the shy, quiet Camille to be able to piece them together so easily.

"That's right." Charlotte said quietly.

"Forgive me for being blunt, Captain. I know it's not my place." The young woman knelt down next to her. "But if you care for him, and if this mission is as dangerous as he says, well, if he doesn't make it back, he won't be the only one with regrets."

Charlotte looked into her dark brown eyes as she smiled in understanding. She looked back to the door which had closed behind him.

"You should follow your heart, Captain."

Charlotte stood and raced for the door. She did not care who she passed or what they might think as she sprinted through the hallways and out to the garden surrounding the complex.

He was nowhere to be found. She kicked a rock which had strayed onto the footpath before turning back to the large building. She slunk back to the library, frowning in disappointment. She closed the door behind her with a loud thunk. The archivist jumped at the sound and dropped one of the tomes she was putting away.

"Oh, Captain. I didn't expect you back."

"He was gone."

Camille descended from the tall ladder, her arms still laden with scrolls. She marched over to her superior like a woman on a mission.

"And you're here because? Go after him!"

"I'm sorry, Camille. Things don't work out like they do in your books."

"Like hell they don't. You know why people say that? Because they don't try. They assume they will fail, so they give up." She took a deep breath and smoothed her hair down before pushing her glasses back up from where they had slid down her nose.

"You won't give up, will you Captain?" Her voice had lost a bit of its fire. When Charlotte looked up at her from the chair she had collapsed in-the chair he had been sitting in previously, she could see hope in the young woman's eyes. "Everyone deserves to be happy."

Charlotte felt a tear roll down her cheek. She wiped it away as the young woman looked at her earnestly waiting for an answer.

"You're right. Everyone deserves happiness." She sighed. "Even if it's only for a moment. But I don't know. Will, will it make me happy?"

"You won't know unless you try, right?"

Charlotte sighed.

"I guess not. But how am I supposed to find him. He was reading about some place called the Underwater Temple..." She turned her attention to the few books and scrolls still on the table.

"It's in the ocean, underwater, like it's name describes." Camille unrolled a scroll she had in her arms. Drawn on the paper was an extensive map of the kingdom unlike any Charlotte had seen before. Recorded on it were the locations where various dungeons had surfaced over the centuries as well as several anomalous regions. Camille pointed to the region marked just off the coast.

"It's supposed to be at the center of this wild mana zone, but no one has ever gone there and made it back out alive, or at least sane. There have been stories of people who had gone missing washing up on shore days, even weeks later, hundreds of miles from the area, talking gibberish about fish people."

"Fish people, huh? Where does this line up on a modern map?"

Camille hurried to another cabinet and pulled out another rolled up piece of paper. She spread it out on the table next to the old scroll.

"It looks like it's here." She tapped a spot on the map after comparing the two. "Most of these phenomena don't shift locations like the dungeons."

"What's that city there?"

"That's Raquey."

"The resort town? Could the mission possibly be there?"

"It is the closest major town to the wild mana zone. That's why it's so warm."

"Ok, Fine. I'll go to Raquey, but if he's not there, I, uh, I'll come back and show you the world isn't all fairy tales and happy endings."

Charlotte stood to leave.

"Captain?" The young idealistic woman called after her. "You might want to pack appropriately. It is a beach, so think swimsuits and sundresses."

Charlotte sighed and hung her head. Camille was right, she would have to change, not only for the weather, but she was worried she would be recognized. She didn't even have a swimsuit, and the two dresses she had at headquarters were not at all appropriate for the beach."

"I've got a couple dresses you can borrow if you want."

"No, it's fine. I'll... figure something out." She knew she had to pick something up, but she decided to get to Raquey first. Still, she rushed to her rooms to find some sort of disguise, or at least something more relaxed before she took to the air.

Yami grumbled to himself the entire flight to Raquey. He grumbled about his team, certain they would be goofing off. He grumbled about Julius, putting this impossible mission on him. But mostly he grumbled about how stupid he had been for falling for Charlotte Roselei.

"You got your answer, you idiot. Now focus on the mission." He muttered to himself as the ocean came into view. He flew high over the beach, which brought back so many memories. He pushed the thoughts away as he scanned for his motley crew. Julius had set them up in a small house on the beach, isolated from the majority of the resort areas, but when he saw the commotion on the sand, he sighed, knowing without a doubt his charges were at the center of it.

"Well, time to take responsibility, I guess." he muttered before swinging closer to the madness. None of them noticed him as he landed.

"What a fucking mess..."

He could hear Asta's shrieking over the noise as a cloud of sand barreled his way, the young recruit in the lead. A quick boot to the chest and it was over.

Burying them to their necks was unnecessary, but it made him feel better. And he knew if they couldn't move, he would have their undivided attention. As he gave them the details of their mission, they all sobered up-well except for Vanessa who was still actually drunk, but even she seemed to grasp the precarious nature of their task. Noelle argued she couldn't get them to the temple, but he knew better. She had the raw power; she had the strength to get the job done. She needed to learn control. Until she did, she would be a liability. He had faith she would do so, but she was terrified at having so much placed on her shoulders.

"Now, get to work." He walked over to the chair Vanessa had occupied until recently and took a seat in the shade. He summoned a newspaper from somewhere and lay back reading.

Charlotte pulled and tugged at the dress she wore as she flew through the air toward the beach which was the heart and soul of the town of Raquey. It was short and strappy and far more frilly than she was used to. In fact, it reminded her of the dresses her mother would put her in before she had joined the Magic Knights. Only a little shorter, a little tighter and according to the girl who had sold it to her, guaranteed to turn everyone's head. She was uncomfortable in it, but even she had to admit she looked good in the dress. She wondered what Sol would say, and she blushed when she thought about Yami seeing her in it. She immediately groaned at herself for getting so caught up in trying to impress him. She landed a short distance from the chaos that was the Black Bulls squad and watched the madness unfolding. She didn't see Yami, and she did not want to blow her cover by asking any of his subordinates. She did not think they would recognize her, but she couldn't risk discovery.

She circled back toward where the beach met the boardwalk, where a row of umbrellas lined the sand's edge. She took her shoes off and dug her toes into the cool sand. The feeling was a nice counterpoint to the warm sea breeze. She released a deep breath, feeling her body relax despite everything.

"Well, no matter what happens," she thought, "at least being here was relaxing." She promised herself she would make an effort to take more vacation time as she felt the tension in her shoulders, her back, unwind with every step.

A short distance away, as she contemplated taking a longer trip here to sit in the sun and curl up with a good, trashy book or splashing in the surf, she saw what could only be him. He reclined in a chair with a newspaper, for all intents and purposes, looking as if he had no care in the world, nor any idea of the pandemonium around him. She knew otherwise. She had seen him fight before, swatting away attacks from behind which would have surprised any other Knight with ease and grace. She figured he knew exactly what was going on around him. She wondered if he knew she was watching him.

She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves before crossing the sand to him. He made no motion indicating he was aware of her approach. He seemed engrossed in his reading, his brow furrowed in concentration. She walked in front of him, her head turning as she passed. She stopped a few steps away and turned back to him. He really was oblivious, she guessed, as oblivious as she had been all this time.

She covered the few steps toward him quickly and pushed the newspaper down. He looked up at her, anger in his eyes, which then grew wide as his mouth fell open. His ever-present cigarette dangled from his lip before falling into onto his chest.

"Ow. Shit." He jumped up, brushing the cigarette to the ground and patting at the small burn. He looked at the dying ember on the edge of the cigarette and frowned before looking up at her. He blinked several times expecting the vision of her to disappear.

"What? What are you doing here?"

Charlotte felt herself blush. She didn't exactly know herself what she was after.

"I thought about what you said. About regrets, and..."

"If you're here out of pity, save it. I don't need it."

She pressed her lips together into a tight line. Her eyes narrowed with the action.

"Not your regret, stupid." Her cheeks flushed red. "Mine."

"What?"

She huffed before closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"Do you know why you broke the curse all those years ago?" She crossed her arms over her chest. The motion drew his eyes downward, where they were treated to a rare vision-a flash of alabaster skin peeking out from the gauzy blue skirt.

"I never much thought about it." His eyes lingered on the length of her exposed leg as they traced the shape of her before they reached her eyes.

"Of course not." She said in exasperation.

"Enlighten me." He stared at her, refusing to take his eyes from her. She took a deep breath and met the challenge his gaze held.

"Well, if you must know, the only way the curse on my family could have been dispelled was for a man to steal my heart. There. Now you know."

He blinked at her once, then twice before he processed what she had told him and a wicked grin spread across his face.

"So, what you're saying is, you like me."

She looked down at the beach, the seat off to his side, the umbrella above them. She looked at everything except him.

"Apparently." She could practically hear his grin growing wider. "And so, I decided that I will..." She looked at him, getting caught in his bourbon colored eyes and her breath caught. "What I'm trying to say is." Her heart raced with fear and her mind screamed for her to stop. "I, I would... I regretted telling you no as soon as the door closed behind you."

"So you came all this way to tell me that?"

She drew a circle in the sand with her toe.

"Well, yeah." She looked down at the sand. "And to see if the offer was still on the table?" Her voice squeaked out. She waited for what seemed like an eternity before he took her hand and brought it to his lips. He stared at her over their clasped hands and she felt like she would collapse under the weight of his stare had it not been for his touch supporting her.

"It always will be." He whispered.

"So, um. Where do you want to go?"

"I guess it would be too soon to say bed?" His voice was rough in her ear. She turned scarlet. He chuckled and the sound sent shivers down her spine and through her fingers and toes. She glanced at him out the corner of her eye and chewed her lip. He straightened, laughing.

"You are incorrigible." She was surprised at the breathy sound of her voice and the dryness of her throat. She swallowed hard. She hadn't expected him to be so direct with his intentions, but she blushed more as she realized he had said what she had been thinking.

"Come on." He tugged her hand, shifting the position so he could interlace his fingers with hers as he started walking toward a small bungalow on the end of a pier jutting out over the water. She trotted in order to fall in next to him before matching his stride. She refused to be dragged behind him like a love sick pup.

"Where are we going?"

He looked her over, clenching his jaw and releasing it.

"Well, you're obviously here undercover in a sense. I thought I might ditch the uniform too for a change." He led the way through the narrow, connected rooms to one slightly isolated from the rest. She lingered by the door as he pulled the frayed segment of cape he wore marking him as a member of the Magic Knights over his head. She slid the door closed behind her as he rummaged through a small bag before pulling his shirt over his head.

Her brain told her to stop, but she had decided to stop listening to it where he was concerned, at least for a little while. Her feet carried her closer to him, her fingers brushed his back lightly. She could feel the muscles beneath tense as he stood. She spread her palms flat against him, sliding them up to his shoulders, marveling at the feel of his skin beneath them. She could feel the muscles in his shoulders relax at the touch before he turned to her. He tossed the shirt he had been holding to the corner before pulling her waist to him and pressing his lips against hers in a hungry kiss.

She kissed him back in equal desperation as her hands slid over his chest, around his neck and tangled into his hair. Her entire body tingled with each touch and she felt herself yield as he pulled her closer. His lips traced the length of her neck, nipping lightly at the spot where it met her shoulder. Her breath came short and ragged as he tugged at her dress. She heard the fabric tear as he freed her from it it, but she didn't care. She only wanted his mouth on her flesh, his hands on her skin. She kissed his shoulder, echoing his tiny bite. He inhaled sharply as his hand found a freed breast. He brushed his thumb, calloused and rough, around her areola and across the contracting nipple. She gasped. And he chuckled. He pulled her close to him, his hands on her waist, as he backed into the bedframe and landed hard on the mattress. She straddled his lap as she kissed him once more, her hands running through his hair as she looked down on him.

"If this was what you wanted, you could have just asked." He licked his lips as he looked up at her before cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples with his tongue.

"Shut up, Yami." She was breathless as she turned his chin to her once more and kissed him with a desire she never knew she had. She pushed him back onto the bed before she unbuckled the belt holding her grimoire. The dress fell away with it as the thick book hit the floor with a thud.

"You know, you could, uh, tie me down." He looked up at her, the wicked grin spreading over his face once more. "I mean, if you wanted." He inhaled sharply once again as she cocked an eyebrow and her briars slithered over his arms and around his wrists, their sharp thorns biting into his skin. "Now you can do whatever you want to me."

She hovered over him, her eyes inches away from his. She tilted her head and licked the length of his neck up to his ear. He gasped and groaned in excitement.

"Including just leaving you here like this." Her own voice sounded strange in her ears, husky and filled with desire. She rubbed her hips against his, feeling him swelling with the stimulation. He panted as he looked up at her. He pulled at the vines binding him, but she just wrapped them tighter, forcing the thorns deeper into his skin. Tiny streaks of red marred his flesh where their sharp points scrapped at his wrists. She pressed her hips against his once more as she leaned toward his ear.

"Do you know how many nights I did this to myself trying to purge you from my thoughts?"

"No."

"Too many to count."

"Did it work?"

She rubbed her body against his again, and he tried to break free of the vines once more. She tightened them further, until the red streaks welled with blood.

"What do you think? She nipped at his ear and freed him. His hands flew to her back, holding her against him as he flipped her onto her back. He held both of her wrists in one hand above her head as he loosened his own series of belts, freeing himself from the confines of his pants. He entered her quickly. Her eyes grew wide from the unexpected pressure of him within her. And his mouth was on hers once more.

"I don't think it did." He muttered against her lips before kissing her on her neck, shoulder, and then taking one of her breasts into his mouth. She gasped as his tongue teased her nipple and he began thrusting into her. He was slow at first, but quickly began to pick up speed, spurred on by each of her cries. She wrapped her long legs around his hips, holding him close, relishing the feel of their union, of him filling her. He teased one nipple, then the next, each time eliciting a squeal of delight. Right as she felt herself reaching a climax he pulled away from her. He stood over her, resplendent in the beauty of his form, and she whimpered from the loss of him against her. She couldn't imagine he was through with her so quickly, but all worry melted as he flipped her onto her belly and pulled her hips toward his. He lay his chest against her back as he slid into her once more. His hands pulled at her hips as he thrust deeply into her, pulling and pushing her onto his swollen manhood. Her arms trembled as she struggled to hold herself up. Her breasts rubbed lightly against the rough sheets on the bed with each thrust, her sensitive nipples growing harder and sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. He reached around to her sex and touched her. She had been touched there before, mostly by herself, but on occasion, by one of her squad mates when she was younger, but never had she imagined what his thick fingers could do to her as he continued thrusting into her. She could hear him breathing heavily, or maybe it was her as he continued to increase the pace of his movements-both his hips and his fingers. She cried out suddenly as she felt her entire being erupt. She could feel herself tighten around his still thrusting member as it throbbed and pulsed. His body shuddered with release as he laid his head against her back. She slowly lifted herself and leaned back against him, his hand still on her sex, his other cupping her breast. He nibbled at her neck as their breathing slowed. She brushed the top of his head with her cheek and her eyes fluttered shut. Reluctantly, he pulled himself from her and she felt herself whimper once more. He pulled her down next to him as he stretched out on the bed and wrapped her in his arms. She nuzzled herself against his naked body before turning her back to him.

"That was... very nice." he said sleepily.

"I do have one regret though." she muttered.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I regret not admitting to myself sooner what it was I wanted." She took the hand he dangled over her hip and pulled it to her lips. She kissed his palm, his wrist and rubbed her fingers over the red marks still visible there. He chuckled before kissing the back on her neck and nestling down to sleep.

"Me too." He whispered as he drifted off.

His arm was heavy on her rib cage, an unfamiliar weight constricting her breathing. She shifted, moving the heavy limb to her hip where his fingers brushed her thigh in lazy circles. She relaxed into his embrace, wanting more of him, but also wanting sleep as she also drifted off. She woke sometime later to his thick fingers stroking her sex and his lips nibbling at her ear. As she regained awareness, she could feel his erection pressing into her back side. She turned to him, to see his tawny eyes already filled with desire. He captured her mouth as he tried to push her back into the bed.

But she was faster as she mounted him. Her eyelids fluttered closed at the completely different feeling she experienced as she ground her hips against his. She surprised herself with how quickly she brought herself to release as she rubbed herself against him, as he pushed against the deepest parts of her. The light flick of his fingers against her pert nipples and the soft, sucking kisses against her breasts overwhelmed her as she cried out, once more feeling the clenching feeling of her physical release. She laid her head against his chest as the waves of pleasure subsided. She listened to his pounding heart as his fingertips lightly brushed her skin.

"So good." he sighed as he squeezed her before rolling her onto her back and slipping once more between her legs.

Each thrust now was exquisite agony as he filled her, stroking her body in ways others had never been able to approach. He kissed her, softly, gently, with none of the desperation of their first kiss. He moved his hands, his body slowly, deliberately, relishing each touch, each kiss, each gasp which escaped her lips. He kept his eyes on her face as if he were memorizing every feature, every pore, every blemish and freckle. He burned into his memory every gasp, cry and moan, the way she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Satisfied with his observations, he heightened the contact, moving faster and faster until he reached his stride and released. He landed heavily, his arms bracing on either side of her head. When he opened his eyes once more, the wicked grin was plastered on his lips. He pressed his lips into hers.

And he knew he would make this mission a success. He would survive. They all would.

Because he had to get back to her.

He kissed her again, and she slithered her hands around his neck, holding him to her.

"You tore my dress." She whispered in his ear. She nipped at it playfully to which he chuckled.

"So I did."

"And you still owe me... well, whatever you had initially thought to do."

His stomach rumbled, followed quickly by hers. She blushed at the noise, but he smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.

"How about lunch?" He looked out the window at the dying light. "Or maybe dinner?"

"I'd love to go to dinner with you, but you ripped my dress."

He placed a finger over her lips before withdrawing from her and tossing on his clothes. He picked up the dress and disappeared out of the room.

She sat up, curious, as the door slid shut behind him. She pulled the thin sheet covering the bed over her nakedness before she began the hunt for her undergarments.

Yami leaned back against the door, clutching the torn garment in his fist and let himself feel happiness for the first time in a long time. He had wanted her since he had first watched her fight. She was poetry in motion and he relished every chance he had to watch her. He had often imagined what it would feel like to have her body pressed against his. He never imagined she had been wondering the same thing.

A contented smile landed on his lips. He wanted to turn right back around and wrap her in his arms and hold her forever, but the rumbling in his stomach reminded him of his current mission. He could hear voices from other parts of the house. He examined the tears in the dress as he sought out the others. He hoped Vanessa was sober enough to actually do work.

When he found her, she was nursing her nauseated belly and pounding head. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Yo, Vanessa."

"Ca-Captain!" She looked up at him fluttering her eyelids and trying to flash him a seductive smile before she covered her mouth with her hand as the bile rose within her. "Come share a drink with me."

"I need you to fix this." He tossed the dress at her. She furrowed her brow as she held up the garment. She glanced at him, suddenly sober.

"Now." he emphasized. She nodded before she used her magic to repair the rips in the seams and the tears in the fabric.

"There, just like new." She looked at the dress with pride in her work. The outfit wasn't her style, but it was cute, she had to admit. She couldn't help but wonder why the captain had it, and why it was in such a dire state. She could only come up with one possibility. She chewed her bottom lip as he pulled it out of her hands.

"Thanks." He hurried to the back room once more.

As he pulled the door opened, Charlotte jumped.

"You scared me." She said as he crossed the room quickly and wrapped her in his arms. He inhaled the smell of her deeply. He wanted to keep holding her, to never let her go, to never leave this quiet sanctuary where they could be two ordinary people rather than tied into their roles, both official and not. She took the garment from his hand.

"It's fixed!" She tugged at the former rips, amazed at the craftsmanship of the repairs.

He rubbed his hands over her belly and tickled her sides as he kissed her neck.

"Yami, stop, that tickles." She squirmed against him.

"Um." He purred against her skin before doubling down on the tickling. "I want to learn everything about you. I want to find all the spots that turn you on and the ones that make you scream." His voice was low and his breath was warm against her. She giggled and wiggled until she broke free of his embrace. She turned on him smiling.

"You're going to rip my dress again." She snatched the garment from his hands as his eyes traveled the length of her body. He pulled her back to him, tumbling back onto the bed.

"We don't need food, do we? I mean, I can just eat you." He nipped the soft skin above her collarbone.

"Ow!" She slapped at his arm until she pushed him onto his back. She echoed the bite with her own.

"Just makes me want to fuck you more, Charlotte." He purred as she held him down with her body. He could have tossed her back to the bed. He knew he was strong enough to do it, but looking up at her half-naked body was more enticing. Besides, he thought, he would do nothing to risk her interest. He traced his hands up her thighs as she pulled the dress over her head.

"Later." She leaned over, kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her onto her side next to him. "Dinner first."

He kissed her gently and stroked her cheek. Looking into her eyes, he knew he could not leave her behind. He would make this mission succeed. He would come back to her. He kissed her again.

"Right." He sat up and pulled her with him. "You look beautiful, by the way."

She blushed as he took her by the hand and led her out of the room.

"Wait, Yami." She hesitated. "What if they see?"

"Who? My squad? I don't care if they see." But the look on her face told him she did.

"If word gets out to my squad though..."

He sighed and closed the short distance between them.

"You worry about appearance too much, Queen of Thorns." He kissed her forehead and brushed her hair behind her ear. "But if it means so much to you... Finral!" he called out, his voice booming across the wooden structure making it shiver. He held up his hand to her before he turned the corner of the building only to have his 'ride' stop short to avoid running into him.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"What are the others doing?"

"Oh, you know, the usual."

"And Noelle?"

"She's been working on that spell all day."

He nodded, pleased at her determination. He would need it if he was going to keep his unspoken promise to himself, and to her.

"Good. I need a door."

The young spatial mage sighed.

"Why can you use the actual door?"

"Just do it."

"Fine, fine. Where am I sending you?"

"Outside."

Finral raised an eyebrow as he summoned the portal. Yami disappeared briefly around the corner before reappearing with his arm around a blond who seemed vaguely familiar to Finral. The spatial mage watched as the pair appeared on the other side of the portal, trying to figure out where he knew her from as they disappeared into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

"You are eating that fish raw." She looked at him skeptically, her soup spoon hovering between her bowl and her mouth.

"Yeah, and it's delicious." He grinned before popping another thin sliver of marbled pink flesh into his mouth. He closed his eyes savoring the fresh flavor. "So good. You should try some."

"Um, no thank you." She sipped her soup. She was surprised with how good it was as she looked around the tiny hole in the wall of a restaurant. She had been skeptical when he suggested it as they walked by, but he seemed to be drawn to it for some reason.

When they had walked in, they were greeted by an old man behind a counter. He was dressed strangely, but not unlike how she had seen Yami dressed before. He greeted them in an odd language. And to her surprise, Yami answered him. She looked at his face as he conversed with the old man. She knew nothing of what they were saying to each other, she could barely follow the flow of the conversation. But something about the conversation had made Yami seem nostalgic, almost wistful. An old woman, dressed equally as strange in what she would have considered the most beautiful bathrobe she had ever seen, came out from behind the counter and ushered them to a small table near the corner of the building. She said something to Yami which made him sit up straighter as a slight blush colored his cheeks. The old woman chuckled.

"I will bring you a traditional meal from home." She said, moving to a broken, stilted form of the common tongue. "And for your friend, a taste of home more easy on the..." She hunted for the word. "Unaccustomed palate." The woman bowed as she left their table.

Charlotte looked around at the small shack of a restaurant.

"How are they even in business with this tiny place?" she murmured mostly to herself.

"It's the only place of its kind here. Probably in the entire kingdom." He smiled as the old woman returned with a tray. She placed a bottle of sake on the table, with two small cups as well as a small pot of tea. Charlotte watched as she made extremely precise, practiced movements to pour both drinks.

"Sake?" she asked, holding the small cup out to Charlotte. The smell of the warmed clear liquid was clean and strong. It reminded her of the polish she used on her armor when it needed cleaning. She could not help the crinkle of her nose as the scent wafted toward her, but she took the cup from the old woman who gave her a small smile and slight bow. Charlotte found herself bowing in response though she didn't know why. The cup was warm in her hands as she watched the woman pour a second cup and pass it to Yami. She watched a warm smile spread across his face. She brought the warm cup to her lips and took a tentative sip. The liquid burned as it slid down her throat, as acrid as it had smelled. She coughed and put the cup down.

Yami looked at her with laughter in his eyes.

"Not much of a drinker?"

"No."

He drained his cup, and then hers before pouring her a bowl of tea.

"Try this then." She took the round cup in two hands and sipped the steaming liquid cautiously. The tea also burned, but in a different way than the sake had.

"Better. Though it's quite bitter."

He shrugged.

"Acquired tastes, I guess. Though I can't say how long it took me to get used to red wine."

The old woman reappeared with a bowl of soup for each of them and a plate spiraled with thin cuts of meat. The soup smelled like nothing she had ever had before, but it also smelled enticing. And his eyes lit up as he saw the rest of the food.

"What is it?" She eyed the thin cuts of flesh curiously. Ranging in color from white to pink to nearly orange, it was laid out in a beautiful and artistic manner.

"Fish." He manipulated a pair of narrow sticks, deftly grabbing a piece of the fish and popping it into his mouth. He closed his eyes, savoring the food. She could only describe the look on his face as blissful. The old woman smiled as she spoke again. Charlotte assumed she asked him something, but the lyrical language did not seem to follow even remotely similar rules of inflection as her native tongue. Yami covered his mouth with his hand as he answered and Charlotte thought she saw tears in his eyes. As she listened to him speak to the old woman, she was surprised how well matched the language was with him. She had always thought he had an accent, had known he had learned the language as a teenager. But she had never imagined how beautiful his native tongue would be, or how much it would make her heart race to see him so unguarded. She wanted to ask him about his home, wondered what his life might have been like before or if he hadn't found himself here.

"Are you sure you don't want to try it?" He asked again as she sipped her soup once more. He waved a think piece of white fish before her, pinched carefully between the sticks he had been using to eat.

She sighed. He looked at her hopefully.

"Fine." She opened her mouth and he placed the morsel onto her tongue. The taste was not at all as she expected as it seemed to melt on her tongue. She did however, feel herself choke as she thought about what she was eating and forced herself to swallow the bite.

He watched her expectantly.

"Well, it wasn't bad. It tasted good, but I don't think I can handle the texture." She tried to be diplomatic as she reached for her tea.

He laughed, his eyes lighting up with a smile. The smell of something being grilled wafted through the air toward them.

"That smells delicious." She tried to peer around him to see what was being cooked. The old woman returned once more. She poured Yami another cup of sake and smiled when Charlotte had to refuse.

"Why'd she come all the way over here when you have the bottle?" She asked as the old woman shuffled back to the grill where her husband was cooking. She could hear them talking in their strange language.

"It's custom. You never pour sake for yourself."

She watched him drain the cup as she sipped her tea. She frowned as she realized she had finished her own cup as well. She reached for the small pot the old woman had left, but he picked it up and was refilling her bowl before her hands had reached the pot.

"You shouldn't pour tea for yourself either. Not if you're sharing with another." His voice was a quiet whisper which made Charlotte blush. She looked up at him, his face in profile as he glanced over his shoulder at something the elderly couple had said. His eyes were dilated and his cheeks were red as if he were drunk, yet he seemed fine in all other ways. She reached out for the sake bottle, her hands trembling slightly as she picked it up and poured him another glass.

"There's no point in having her come back here every time you need a refill." She placed the bottle on the table once more. He caught her fingers as she withdrew them from the table and brought them to his lips.

"You're blushing." The comment only made her cheeks grow more red. She was about to retort when the old woman returned with the grilled dish whose aroma had filled the air of the small restaurant. Yami pulled his hand away from hers quickly. The red in his cheeks seemed to darken as well. The old woman motioned for Yami to lean down to her. She whispered into his ear. Whatever she had said made his eyes grow wide and he choked on air. He glanced at Charlotte before rapidly trying to explain something to the old lady, who just walked away laughing.

"What did she say?"

"She said I shouldn't be ashamed of showing affection for my beautiful wife. I tried to tell her that you weren't, that we weren't, but she just laughed." He looked everywhere except at her. He picked up another piece of fish and shoved it into his mouth. She watched him, trying to determine whether the red on his cheeks was from the sake or what the woman had told him.

"Oh." Her imagination flowed down the path of the woman's suggestion, giving her visions of herself in a poofy white gown her mother likely picked out, looking up at him in a sun-dappled church. She focused on the plate before her, chastising herself for her flight of fancy. "Well, this looks delicious." She tried to smile at him, but he was staring into the distance, his face suddenly serious. She began to eat her food in silence as he drummed his fingers against his chin. She could feel every glance he gave her, but every time she looked up, he had looked away once more.

Yami looked at the old couple, thinking about what the woman had said to him. He hated to admit it, but the thought of marrying anyone was unsettling. Especially now. Especially with this mission. Especially when he did not know if he would make it back alive.

But if he did, he wondered if he might one day want more from her. He couldn't stop glancing at her, now focused on the food before her, but he wasn't hungry any more. He reached for the sake bottle only to have her snatch it away from him and pour his cup herself. He met her eyes as she put the bottle down.

"Thanks." He couldn't stop looking at her, despite trying. Her blue eyes seemed to dance and he realized he would fight for her if he got out of this alive. And he would make it back to her.

"You're welcome." She glanced at the dish before her before looking back up at him, smiling.

He picked up the cup and sipped it slowly, giving her the soft smile he had greeted the old man with when they had entered the restaurant. He watched her over the small cup as she finished eating.

"You know, I just noticed it, but, you haven't had a cigarette since the beach." She sipped her tea. He thought back to seeing her on the beach, his cigarette falling and everything since then.

"You're right. Huh." He didn't even want one.

"Are you finished?"

"Oh." He looked at the nearly empty plate before him. "Yeah."

The old woman made her way back to the table

"How do you say 'Thank You'?" Charlotte asked unexpectedly. He sat up wide-eyed with surprise. Smiling, he told her the word. She repeated it, but he shook his head, smiling before repeating it, trying to stress the inflection and pitch changes. She tried again.

"Eh, close enough." The look on his face said it was far from correct, but he still smiled proudly when she thanked the old woman in his native language. Yes, he thought, he would fight for her if he survived this mission. The old woman's face lit up at the attempt. He thanked her as well as he paid her and offered his hand to Charlotte. As they left he restaurant, the old woman called out to them one last time, making them both freeze.

"Enjoy your honeymoon!" Her accent was thick, but the words struck Charlotte like a knife. Yami hung his head, sighing and reached for a cigarette when she linked her arm in his and waved back to the old woman.

"Thank you; we will!"

"What are you doing?" He turned to her, unlit cigarette dangling from his lip. She took it from between his lips and drew his face to hers, kissing him slowly on the street. He pulled her close, losing himself in her.

"Pretending."

He lingered, eyes closed, above her lips as she brushed the back of his neck. She kissed him again quickly before stepping out of his embrace and taking him by the arm once more. Pretending,huh? he thought. The idea coursed through him like lava, igniting him in ways he hadn't thought possible. His desire for her grew, but his passion for her lit a flame of something else; something he was unwilling to name.

"Where's my cigarette?"

She held it out to him. He took the small object from her hand with his lips, making her gasp. Lighting it quickly, he drapped his arm around her shoulders.

"So what now, pretend wife?" He looked at her as she turned to him, wide-eyed. He took the cigarette from between his lips and turned his head, blowing out smoke before looking in her eyes once more.

"I don't know. It's getting kind of late, isn't it?"

He shrugged and took another drag on the cigarette. It didn't taste as good as her lips.

"My sense of time is all mixed up." He started walking, guiding her down the street with him.

"Actual work can do that to you." She slid her arm around his waist.

He chuckled.

"You certainly make me work." He murmured in her ear.

"Yami." She mock-scolded and he could see her blushing in the moonlight.

Hearing her say his name thrilled him.

"Charlotte." he echoed, his accent thicker than normal. The sound sent shivers down her spine.

"A walk on the beach, perhaps?" She leaned into him.

"Only a walk?" His voice was low and deep. She licked her lips.

"For now."

He took a drag on the cigarette, blowing the smoke away from her.

"I should probably check on the kids, anyway." He took another inhale before crushing the half-used cigarette beneath his foot and directing her to the beach.

The sound of the water was soothing, as it softly lapped the rocks that jutted out into the ocean. They walked in silence as the moon shone overhead. Charlotte leaned her head against his arm. She had always felt a little strange around people, all people, not just men. For a long time, she chalked her feelings up to the curse and the walls she had built around herself because of it. She had kept everyone at bay-men, women, her family even as she fought to grow in strength in hopes of breaking the curse herself.

But now, she was completely at ease, relaxed. It was refreshing and strange.

He slipped his arm around her shoulder, his fingers brushing the top of her arm, and she felt the walls crumbling into dust.

Voices from down the beach drifted to them.

"There they are." He said quietly before he climbed up to the top of a slick rock. He stood up there, silhouetted in the moonlight and Charlotte felt her breath catch. He looked at something in the distance down the beach before leaning over and offering her his hand.

Once on top of the rock, she could see the scars of magic gone wrong dotting the beach.

"What are they doing?" She asked as she interlaced her fingers with his. It happened automatically and felt so natural now to do it.

"Training. Noelle still can't control her magic. And she's the only one who can get the job done."

She looked up at him. His face was grim, but determined. He had told her he was afraid, and now she understood why.

"She'll get it." He nodded in confidence. "She'll figure it out." He smiled at her, but she knew he was still worried. She squeezed his hand as she watched the practice more. She could hear the voices, but could not make out what they were saying at the distance.

"Are all three of them yours? I've heard of your habit of picking up strays."

He chuckled, and this time his smile lightened his eyes.

"I was a stray before Julius picked me up, you know. Just paying it forward. But no. It looks like they found a friend. I hope those idiots didn't tell her about the mission."

"What is the mission?" She knew it was secret, and he wouldn't tell her. They had both learned over the years how to keep such secrets. But she still wanted to know.

He shook his head before sitting on the rock and pulling her down next to him.

"I hate the ocean," he said as he stared out at the endless depths. She looked at his profile in the moonlight as he lit another cigarette.

"Why?" She felt he was not being honest.

He took a deep breath and blew out smoke slowly.

"Every bad memory I have starts with the ocean." He pulled a knee to his chest as his gaze lingered on the horizon. She tucked her feet underneath herself.

"I've only seen it... I think this is my third time. My parents brought me here a couple of times as a child, but they prefer the mountains."

"My parents were fishermen, well my father was, and my brothers. My mother died giving birth to my younger sister when I was ten, and my older sister was married off when I was twelve, right before my father started sending me out on the boats alone."

"So you grew up around the ocean."

"Yeah. Out before dawn every day, except when the weather was bad. We would stay out as long as we could, or until the boat was so full we would risk sinking it."

"Where you good at it?"

"At what?"

"Fishing."

"I guess. I never wanted to be a fisherman though. I would pray and pray for another path, for a change, to be seen and taken on by a wandering warrior. Hell, I would have been happy to have been a farmer. I guess I got what I wished for."

"I heard you had been found shipwrecked."

"Yeah. A storm blew up out of nowhere one day. I was out on the boat alone. I was fourteen; it was to expected. The wind was fierce and the waves were enormous swells. I had never seen anything like it. The boat capsized. I thought for sure I was going to die, but then I was caught in a current and when I woke up, I was here. Well, not here, specifically. I washed ashore in a village a few towns over."

"So you hate the ocean because it took you away from your home?"

"In a sense. Though things didn't get better here, at least not right away. I wonder if the couple at the restaurant had it as bad?"

"Yami?" She touched his arm. His face looked pained as he turned to her, but he masked it with a sardonic smile.

"But you don't want to hear my life's story."

She had never thought about it before, but looking into his eyes, nearly black in the moonlight, she realized she did. She wanted to know everything about him. As he lay back on the rock and looked up at the stars, she sighed, knowing he was unlikely to reveal any more secrets to her.

"Did you ever think about going back?" She looked out at the water.

"Sometimes." He admitted after a long moment of silent consideration. Charlotte turned to him as he continued watching the sky. "Not so much anymore, but the first year or so..." He took a deep breath and then another one. "I would have given anything to go back."

"What changed?"

"Julius."

"You were in his squad, weren't you? You've known him a long time."

"Yeah. He was always a weirdo." He sat back up. "It still boggles my mind to think he was chosen as Wizard King, sometimes." He took a deep inhale on his cigarette and blew the smoke out at the horizon. He watched the thin stream dissipate in the breeze.

"Well, he was instrumental in several victories in the war. And his power is just incredible."

"I know, I was there. I mean, he is definitely the right person for the job, but," He rolled his eyes and sighed. "He's just cooky."

She giggled.

"I don't think I've ever heard him described quite that way."

"Well, it's true."

"How did you meet? I mean, you said you were a stray he picked up. How did he pick you up?"

He looked at her and sighed.

"I had been living on the beach, pretty much alone, except for this one guy who came to check up on me every so often. Anyway, this guy insisted I go to the grimoire ceremony. I had just turned fifteen, he said, and he convinced me to at least see what it was about. Well, lo and behold, I get a grimoire, much to the shock of everyone there, me most of all, and it unlocks something inside me."

"You couldn't use magic before?" She looked at him in shock.

"Nope. I mean, I guess I had used it in some latent sense. I don't think I would have survived the storm otherwise, but consciously?" He shook his head. "Julius had been there, apparently, watching. He ran up to me on the beach later, all starry-eyed and curious. He kept asking me to show him my magic again and again, invited me to join him in the Magic Knights. I kept telling him no."

"I don't believe that."

"It's true. I didn't trust anyone, well except for the one guy who made sure I wasn't dead from time to time. I sure as hell didn't trust nobles after the shit they put me through."

"So, how did he convince you?"

"He bought me dinner."

"What?"

"He bought me dinner."

"And that's it?"

"I was a kid; I was very food motivated."

She burst out laughing, wiping tears from her eyes.

"That dinner changed everything for me." He stared into the distance as she watched him. Before he grew too introspective, she scooted in front of him. Rising up on her knees, she took his face in her hands, pulled the stub of cigarette from between his lips, tossed it to the side, and kissed him.

"I'm glad you accepted his offer." She kissed him again. He let his knee fall and pulled her into his lap. He pressed his forehead against hers.

"Yeah me too."

She smiled as she nuzzled down into his neck and slipped her arms around his back. They sat in silence, listening to the waves on the rocks, to each other's hearts beating. The fuzzy feeling of sleep crept into the edges of her consciousness as he held her.

"The tide's coming in." His deep voice vibrated through her.

"Hmm?" She looked up at him with heavy eyelids.

"We should go before we get stuck out here."

She turned to look at the water's edge, now closer than it had been earlier. The water lapped at the front of the large rock they had made into their perch. He unwrapped himself from her and stood. He pulled her up next to him before walking to the dry side of the boulder. He hopped down and turned to her, offering her his hand. She looked at the drop and knew it would be easy enough. Besides, she thought, he had done it himself, of course I can too. She approached the edge, ignoring the offered hand, but then she looked at him. His dark eyes glittering in the moonlight. His smile and openness. He trusted her, she realized, and now he was asking her to trust him. He knew she could make the leap herself, he knew she did not need his help. But he was asking her, with his outstretched hand, to accept it, to trust he would be there when she did need him.

She placed her hand in his and let him help her down. His hands settled on the tops of her hips and he pulled her against him. He wanted to kiss her, she could see as much in his eyes. And kissing would turn to more, she was certain.

But he wanted something else, something she could not identify, and something he would not name.

"You, uh, you have a place to stay?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. I, um, I wasn't exactly sure what would happen once I got here. At the very least, I figured I could use a day off."

"So, wanna go back there?" His hand brushed her cheek, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I'd say you could stay with me, but, well, there would be so many interruptions."

She looked at him as he rolled his eyes and licked his lips. She knew what he wanted. She would have stripped right there and fucked him on the beach if he had asked. She wondered how she would ever make her squad understand. Sol especially wouldn't be able to accept it.

"Probably a good idea." She slid her hands up his chest and around his neck before pulling him into a kiss. The hunger in her actions surprised her. She had thought their earlier activities would have sated her. She was so very wrong. When he stepped away from her, she saw her desire reflected in his eyes before he took her hand and led her back to the city.

The walk was longer than she remembered. Or perhaps her eagerness was to blame for the length. She wanted him. She wanted him to lock the door behind him and to use his strength to throw her to the bed. She didn't care if he tore her dress again. She only wanted him inside her, his mouth all over her.

Each step was an eternity of agony and anticipation.

* * *

So this was supposed to be chapter 1, but the characters had other ideas...


	3. Chapter 3

The lightening sky disturbed Yami's sleep. He was still exhausted, but the offending brightness made it difficult for him to sleep. He tried to turn over and bury his head into the soft pillow he felt beneath him, only to find his arm was weighed down by something. He grunted as he tried to free himself, only to hear a soft groan and the press of warm skin against his answering his movement. Lifting his head as much as he could, he saw the pale gold of the top of her head, but nothing of her face, which she buried against his chest. Her arm lay draped over his belly. He sniffed her head and felt himself shiver with... well, he couldn't quite place what he was feeling. Whatever it was, he had never really felt it before. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her softly. She groaned lightly before turning over, away from him. He took the opportunity to free the arm she had trapped beneath her. He propped himself up on his elbow, gaining a higher vantage point. He wanted to see her face.

The blanket was tucked under her arm and she had pulled it underneath her pointed chin. Her mouth was soft, relaxed as she breathed slowly. He was so used to her frowning in frustration at him and pressing her lips together in a thin, disappointed line, he hadn't noticed how full her lips actually were. He brushed a stray strand of her from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear, thinking he could watch her sleep for hours. He yawned and nestled next to her. He buried his nose into her soft mane and slipped his arm over her hips.

He tried to go back to sleep, to enjoy the feel of her in his arms, but the early dawn light had other ideas. He lay there, holding her against him, grinning like a damn fool over the fact that he had her. Oh, he knew she would never admit to it in public. She was far too caught up in her reputation and what everyone thought of her. But he knew the truth now. Part of her needed him like she needed oxygen. He propped himself up once more and traced a finger down her arm. He admitted to himself, and only to himself, how much he needed her too. He was certain she knew, but like her, he would never say, not in public, not to anyone. Maybe not even to her.

He watched her sleep, thinking how much she had earned her rest. Even before they had gotten back to her room, they both knew what was going to happen. What he hadn't known was how aggressive she would be. He wasn't the submissive type, but he would submit to her if she wanted. And last night, that was exactly what she had wanted. She had taken all he could give her, and when she had still wanted more, he found creative ways to please her, ways he had never to employ with any other woman, because none of them had ever demanded more. But Charlotte was demanding, and exacting, and wouldn't stand to leave things unfinished.

But he had known all of that about her already. He had seen it in how she fought, how she managed her squad. He had never imagined, though, she would manage him in the same way.

He kissed her temple before slipping out of the bed. Stretching he felt his back popping. His muscles ached and his joints were stiff. He wasn't that old, but he could feel the years of fighting in every movement. He looked back at her and for a moment wanted to slide back under the covers with her, to feel her skin against his, to slide inside her and hear her sleepy moans as his touch brought her into the daylight.

He wanted to forget everything and stay in this moment with her.

But the crashing of waves in the distance brought back to mind his purpose there, his reason for going to see her in the first place. He walked out onto the balcony attached to the hotel room and looked out to the ocean beyond. The hotel she had gotten a room in was higher up on the hillside compared to the beachfront cottage Julius had procured for his squad, but it had an amazing view. The bed was nice too, as was the rest of the room. He had a sense the room was designed with the wealthiest of the Clover Kingdom nobility in mind. He was certain it had not come cheap.

He would never have splurged on such a luxury, but he could have, if he had wanted to, if he had managed to keep his pay for more than a day or two, if he had ever actually won at cards. He had a feeling Charlotte had probably gone a bit out of her comfort zone, financially speaking, in making this trip. But the dress she had wore to meet him, the room, well, he wasn't going to complain.

Not when it was basically a good-bye.

Not when a week from now he might be dead at the bottom of the ocean.

He leaned against the railing at the edge of the balcony. The black wrought iron was warm under his hands despite the cool early morning breeze blowing against his skin. The air felt good, but he missed her warmth next to him.

He shook his head.

He had never expected this. He had never expected her to come to him, or for everything to turn on its head.

"Dammit." he said under his breath. Julius had chosen him and his squad for one reason. Yami knew it even if the rest didn't. None of them had any real attachments; no family, few friends, no status to tie them down. Even Miss Royal, Noelle had been rejected by her family.

And here he was, getting attached.

"I'm such a fucking idiot sometimes." He muttered. He went back into the room and found his belt tossed casually into the corner clear across the room from where his pants were. He pulled a cigarette and lighter from the pouch he stored them in before pulling on his pants. He leaned on the railing once more as he lit the cigarette and inhaled the burning air deeply into his lungs. It burned him almost as much as her touch. As he inhaled again, he felt the sense of calm he always felt when he smoked wash over him.

He stared at the massive expanse of water stretching as far as the eye could see. The sea, a cruel mistress he had known his entire life, which was responsible for his being here, seemed so serene from the distance. But he knew, perhaps better than anyone, how much danger lurked beneath the surface.

"Noelle, you better figure it out," he muttered around his cigarette. He took the butt from between his lips, stubbed it out on the railing's edge and flicked it out into the air. He watched it fall until he could no longer see it.

He was wrapped in warmth from behind as she slithered her blanketed arms around him, wrapping him in both her embrace and the thick quilt she had used to cover herself.

"What are you doing out here?" Her voice was sleepy as she pressed the side of her face into his back.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" He turned in her arms and pulled her against him as he leaned on the railing. She shook her head against his chest.

"I was cold." She tightened her arms around his waist, pulling the blanket more snuggly around them. They held each other in silence for a long moment. He stroked her back, feeling like he should say something. He wanted to tell her how he was feeling-aside from awkward in the silence, but he wasn't entirely sure he knew how to describe it. He had very few memories that made him feel even remotely like how she had made him feel the last day, and nearly all of them were from before. He stroked her back again, relaxing into her in a way he had never known possible, hoping it was enough to make her understand.

"Yami?"Her voice wavered, as if she were frightened. Her body tensed up against him. He ran his fingers down her back again.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that mission we had together?"

"Which one?"

"The only one. When we were undercover."

"Oh, yeah." He tried to sound nonchalant, to hide the fact he had been thinking about it frequently. "Didn't I... Didn't I kiss you then?" He ran his fingers through her hair, pulling the fine strands free from their bindings in the blanket she had wrapped around the back of her neck. He knew very well the answer to his question.

"I'm sorry I slapped you then." She looked up at him. Her blue eyes were brilliant and luminous in the early morning sunlight. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she did not. He cupped her cheek, his fingers tangled in her hair and pulling strands forward to frame her face.

"As long as you don't do it know." He tilted her chin to him and kissed her. The kiss was soft, tender, and a far cry from the desperate crushing of lips from the night before. He kept his eyes closed, feeling her with the rest of his senses, embracing her ki as well as her body. He sighed in contentment and felt his heart swell when she pressed her lips against his, briefly, softly, with more emotion than he thought such a kiss could possibly contain. He smiled as her hands slipped from his waist, over his chest and around his neck. The smile broadened as she pulled him to her once more, pressing their lips together before pressing her forehead into his.

She brushed his cheek and the side of his neck, giggling as she looked into his face-his eyes closed, his broad smile. She had never seen him smile so much. She wondered if he never smiled because he always had one of those damned cigarettes in his mouth, or if he was never happy enough to do so.

"Charlotte?" He didn't bother to open his eyes.

"Yes?"

"I, um, I need to tell you."

She pressed her fingers over his lips, stopping him from speaking.

"No; you don't." She knew what "secret mission" meant; all the captains did. Not to tell a soul, sometimes not even your team, or sometimes, not all the information. She could not know the details of his mission, not if it was something Julius had entrusted to him alone.

And she wasn't sure if she wanted to know anything else he might say. She didn't know if her heart could take the pain if she lost him after some deep heartfelt confession.

His face seemed to fall, and the smile disappeared as his brow furrowed. He opened his eyes then and looked at her square in the eye.

"Stay with me." It was sort of a question, and sort of a suggestion, but he waited on baited breath for her response. He needed her, for a little while longer. He needed to feel what she made him feel, the strange sense of contentment he only barely remembered from before. "Just one more day?" He asked as she hesitated with her answer.

His face was shadowed with the sun rising behind him, but she could see a rare glimpse through the facade he had built. Despite the shadows, she could see uncertainty in his eyes, and longing-a different kind of longing than she had seen so frequently the night before. His gaze was raw as he searched her face, hopeful but nervous.

She nodded her head, even more grateful she had stopped him before. His eyes told her everything she needed, but she told herself she was mistaken and she hadn't saw what had plainly been evident in his face. She knew, now, her biggest regret in life would be losing him now.

"I guess my girls can survive one more night without me." She intertwined her fingers behind his neck, unconcerned as they stood naked in the dawn light on a balcony overlooking the ocean with a blanket puddled at their feet.

His shoulders relaxed and the smile returned, not as broad, she noticed, but still reaching his eyes and making them squint closed, crinkling in wrinkles at the corners. She licked her lips as she looked at him. Words danced on the tip of her tongue, words which were trying to escape, which she had longed to say for years. She chewed on her bottom lip, holding them in. She knew it would devastate her if she said them, and he didn't return. She wondered if their meaning was as evident on her face as it was on his. She gave him a small smile as her fingers ran over his shoulders and down his arms until they sat laced with his large hands. She pulled him back inside the room. She might not be able to say it, she thought, but she would let him know as best she could for the rest of the time they could spend together.

He cocked an eyebrow at her as she led him back into the hotel room. He chuckled as she landed hard on the bed like she had not realized it was behind her. He leaned over her, forcing her back on to her elbows.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." He said, his voice a purr in her ear that made her shiver and gasp with anticipation.

"What about yours?" Her breathless voice echoed in his ear.

"My idiots will be idiots. It's fine." He kissed her neck and she sucked in a sharp breath.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I want to fuck you, Charlotte."

"Any preferences on how?"

He pulled away from where he was nibbling her neck.

"No, but I'm guessing you do."

She bit her bottom lip as a wicked smile crossed her face.

"You have a binding spell, right?"

His eyebrows shot up and his tongue lingered on his lips.

"Yeah." He thought he knew where she was going with the idea, but he couldn't believe it. But the way she chewed on her lip as she smiled made him pray that she meant what he thought she did.

"Well, I did use my magic on you..."

"And I have the marks to prove it." He glanced at his wrists and forearms laced with the thin red welts, some of which were scabbed over.

"It's not fair if I don't let you do the same."

He took a deep breath, or as deep a breath as he could as his chest tightened with her confirmation of what the idea.

"You're right, but I need my grimoire for it."

"Seriously? It's not one you can trigger without it?" She was flabbergasted.

"Not my focus." He pushed her fully onto the bed and kissed her, slipping his tongue between her lips before he stood and scanned the room. He put his hands on his hips and frowned as he looked from side to side. He kicked over some of the clothes that still lay in piles on the floor. He crossed his arms over his chest and sat hard on the bed next to her.

"What?" She sat up.

"I can't find it. This is... weird."

"What do you mean, you can't find it?" She stood up and reviewed the places he had already looked. Her instinct to not trust a man to do something right had kicked in.

"I mean it's not here. I think I left it back at the house." He ran his hand over his face.

Charlotte sat next to him again, her hands gripping the edge of the bed as she leaned forward.

"I can't find mine either." She looked up at the ceiling. "This is bad." He could sense her panic. He knew nothing would happen to the spell books, his motley crew would never do something to them, but she had no reason to trust them. Still, he could tell it wasn't damage to her grimoire she was worried about.

"You don't think anyone would..."

He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"No. Besides, if they did, I'd kill them."

She froze for a moment. She had seen him kill for less, when she had been forced to her knees by that vile man they had been investigating. She wasn't quite sure if he was serious.

He nuzzled the top of her head.

"We could just do this the old fashioned way."His hands slid down her arms to her wrists. She looked up at him and he captured her lips. She tried to lose herself in him, but she could not stop thinking about someone finding her grimoire there. Her mind would not stop running through the possible scenarios should word of this tryst get out.

He looked at her, seeing the distraction written on her face.

"Or we can go get it." He sighed as he stroked her cheek. "Come on." He stood and held out his hand to her, offering to help her up. He pulled her close to him as she put her hand in his. He looked down at her worried face, feeling his disappointment ease somewhat. But, he told himself, all the more reason to make sure this isn't the last mission.

"Sorry." She seemed to sense his disappointment.

"It's fine." And he surprised himself. He was genuinely fine with the interruption. They had been so frantic trying to make up for lost time, and trying to fulfil fantasies which might otherwise never come true. He smiled at her again, realizing he wanted to see her happy more than anything.


End file.
